As long as construction begins at the end of this year, President Medvedev has given Moscow’s new university campus a green thumbs up. Mecanoo’s design for the National University of Science and Technology is flexible to allow for expansion, while the campus will be pedestrian friendly and full of uplifting green spaces. Showcasing some of the most advanced design techniques and technologies currently available, MISiS demonstrates that sustainability is at the core of their philosophy.

The new 100 acre campus will house up to 300,000 residents in the next 20 years. The designers employed an urban grid design in order to best accommodate this growth as it comes about. At the edge of a forest and near a valley lake, the campus definitely embraces nature as an aesthetic to be cherished.

However, passive design utilizes the pragmatic side of our connection to nature. Tilted at 45 degrees to avoid full northern exposure, the library and student centers – the gateway buildings – also employ natural lighting and smart materials to keep energy requirements low. Most of the building materials will be sourced locally, and many components will be prefabricated. The only caveat? The construction team better get cracking, or the president might pull out his support.